In a distributed network, data, such as audio/video content, is distributed and stored on multiple nodes of the network. These nodes may be end user devices or edge servers which distribute content to end user devices. Content is initially placed onto the network and may then be replicated across multiple nodes through any kind of peer-to-peer transfer process. In many networks, content is populated to various communication nodes based on a popularity of the content, e.g., more popular content is stored on a greater number of nodes than less popular content. Because more popular content is available on more communication nodes, it is easier for an end user to access such content. Furthermore, more efficient utilization of the bandwidth of the distributed network may be achieved by locating content closer to the end user.
In a video distribution system, the most popular content is typically the newest content, e.g., recent television programming or movie releases. However, as content ages, its popularity will decrease as viewers become more interested in recently released content. Management of the storage space on the distributed network is a potential problem faced by system operators. Each communication node has a finite amount of space that may be utilized to store content. Instead of replicating the same content on every communication node, some operators may take an approach of storing different combinations of content at each communication node. This allows for the distributed network to offer a greater variety of content. If a particular node does not store content requested by a user, then the communication node may request transfer of the content from another communication node that stores the content.
As content ages and becomes less popular, it is desirable to remove the content from at least some of the communication nodes in order to accommodate storage of newer content. However, it may not be desirable to delete all instances of the content from the distributed network, because a certain number of users may still desire to access the content. Thus, more effective management of content is desired to maintain an appropriate number of copies of content on the distributed network as the content ages.